Four Early River Valley Civilizations

Mesopotamia- Tigris & Euphrates Rivers Egyptian Civilization - Nile River Harappan Civilization - Indus River Ancient China - Huang He (Yellow) River

City-States in Mesopotamia
I. GEOGRAPHY Mostly dry desert climate in SW Asia (Middle East) Except in region between Tigris / Euphrates rivers a flat plain known as Mesopotamia lies between the two rivers Because of this regions shape and the richness of its soil, it is called the Fertile Crescent. - the rivers flood at least once a year, leaving a thick bed of mud called silt.

SW Asia (the Middle East)

Fertile Crescent

City-States in Mesopotamia
I. GEOGRAPHY

Sumerians were first to settle in this region, attracted by the rich soil c. 3300 BCE
Three Disadvantages / Environmental Challenges 1. Unpredictable flooding / dry summer months 2. No natural barriers for protection - small villages lying in open plain were defenseless 3. Limited natural resources (stone, wood, metal) Solutions 1. Irrigation ditches 2. Built city walls with mud bricks 3. Traded with people around them for the products they lacked. Initiated Bronze Age.
PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.

II. The City-State Structure of Government

Although all the cities shared the same culture each city had its own government / rulers, warriors, its own patron god, and functioned like an independent country includes within the city walls and also the surrounding farm land At center of each city was the walled temple with a

ziggurat a massive, tiered, pyramid-shaped structure.

II. The City-State Structure of Government

Powerful priests held much political power in the beginning. Military commanders eventually became ruler / monarch - then began passing rule to their own heirs, creating a new structure of government called a

Dynasty a series of rulers descending from a single family line.

III. SUMERIAN CULTURE 1. One of the first writing systems Cuneiform Wedge-shaped figures in clay tablets

Cultural diffusion is the spread of elements of one culture to another people, generally through trade.
Take the spread of writing. Similarities between the pictograms of Egyptian hieroglyphics, Sumerian cuneiform, and the Indus script are striking.

III. SUMERIAN CULTURE A. RELIGION

1. Belief in many gods - polytheism 2. Gilgamesh Epic, one of the earliest works of literature.
Contains a flood story that predates the Hebrew Old Testament story of Noah by at least 2,000 years.

Marduk, the Dragon god

III. SUMERIAN TECHNOLOGY

1. One of the first writing systems - Cuneiform 2. Invented wheel, the sail, the plow 3. First to use bronze. Other Sumerian Achievements

one of the earliest sketched maps astronomy a number system in base 60 from which stems our modern units of measuring time and the 360 degrees of a circle.

IV. First EMPIRE Builders A. 3,000 2,000 B.C.E. the City-States began to fight with each other. These internal struggles meant they were too weak to ward off an attack by an outside enemy.
B. Sargon of Akkad (c. 2,350 B.C.E.)

1. Took control of the region, creating worlds first empire - when several peoples, nations, or previously independent states are placed under the control of one ruler.

2. The Akkadian Empire lasted about 200 years, 2350 approx. 2150 B.C.E.

Babylonian Empire 1. United Mesopotamia - 2,000 B.C. 2. Built capital, Babylon, on Euphrates river

Most Famous For: Reign of Hammurabi [1792-1750 BCE]

Hammurabis Code of Law

He wisely took all the laws of the regions city-states and unified them into one code. This helped unify the region. Eye for an Eye Engraved in stone, erected all over the empire. Discriminated His act set an important precedent idea that the government was responsible for what occurred in society

A total of 282 laws are etched on this 7 ft. 5 in. tall black basalt pillar (stele). The top portion, shown here, depicts Hammurabi with Shamash, the sun god. Shamash is presenting to Hammurabi a staff and ring, which symbolize the power to administer the law. Although Hammurabi's Code is not the first code of laws (the first records date four centuries earlier), it is the best preserved legal document reflecting the social structure of Babylon during Hammurabi's rule. This amazing find was discovered in 1901 and today is in the famous Louvre Museum in Paris, France.

City-States in Mesopotamia

PHOENICIANS 1100 BCE Merchants and Sailors Most Famous For: oEstablishing trading cities and seaports oAlphabet easier with 22 symbols oVery efficient Time = Money oPurple Dye 60,000 snails/pound Purple: Color of Royalty

City-States in Mesopotamia

Assyrians- 850 BCE Mean, warlike people Most famous for: Mistreatment of captives

Chaldeans 612 BCE High Culture of Babylon Most Famous For:

Nebuchadnezzar's revival of Babylonian Culture

Hanging Gardens

Persians: 550 BCE - Largest Mesopotamian Empire Most Famous for: Conquering most of the Middle East